BILL WOULD FUND MEDICINAL MARIJUANA FOR THE DUTCH

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- The Dutch Cabinet approved a bill Friday that
would allow pharmacies to fill marijuana prescriptions and for the
government to pay for them.

Parliament is expected to vote in the next few months on the proposal to
put medicinal marijuana on the national healthcare plan. If the bill is
passed by the 150-seat legislature, pharmacies would be supplied with
"pharmaceutical quality" marijuana after testing by a government agency.

Although the sale of marijuana is technically illegal, Dutch authorities
tolerate the sale of small amounts in hundreds of so- called "coffee shops"
that operate openly. A gram of marijuana costs about $4.

Under the new law, most users would have the cost of their joints paid by
the government as long as it is prescribed by a doctor.

A government statement recognized that some patrons of coffee shops use
marijuana to alleviate pain.

"An increasing number of patients suffering illnesses such as cancer, AIDS,
and multiple sclerosis receive medicinal cannabis," it said.

The law is needed to remove an "undesirable" contradiction between practice
and law "despite lack of scientific evidence" of the effects of marijuana
use, the statement said.

Many patients using the drug without professional assistance have had
successful results, it added. "Experiences are positive: less pain, less
nausea after chemotherapy, less stiffness with MS," the statement said.

The prescription marijuana would be grown along government guidelines.
Growing marijuana is also illegal but tolerated in small quantities, and
the Netherlands produces some of the most potent varieties in the world.

Though several countries tolerate marijuana use by medical patients, only
Canada licenses them to legally grow and possess it, said Paul Armentano, a
spokesman for the Washington-based National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws. The Canadian government is also growing marijuana and plans
to create a government-run system to distribute it.

Britain has licensed a company, GW Pharmaceuticals, to grow large amounts
of marijuana to develop a medical extract, such as a spray that patients
can spray in their mouths. However, smoking marijuana remains illegal there.

In the United States, nine states have exempted medical patients from
prosecution under state laws, but they can still be arrested under federal
laws, Armentano said.